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Leah

I’m the kind of person who washes her car maybe once or twice a year. When I do get my family’s cars washed, it’s usually at one of those school-sponsored events during the warm weather, when a team or club is washing cars as a fundraiser. I realize this isn’t a professional car wash, but it supports a good cause, and my car does look better when I drive away.

With the winter we’ve had so far—here in the Philadelphia area where I live, we’ve received more than 50 inches of snow—it makes sense for me to splurge on a professional car wash and do it today. Why? According to a tip sheet from AAA Mid-Atlantic, all that road brine and salt that crews use to keep us drivers safe could be doing a lot of damage to my car’s brake lines and other parts of the undercarriage.

At my local car wash, the cheapest service is about $30. But that’s a drop in the bucket compared with what I might pay to repair a rusted brake line—AAA estimates that service costs as much as $2,000.

“Even in the dead of winter motorists should regularly wash their vehicles to prevent rust and paint damage to the chassis, and to forestall brake line and fuel line corrosion,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Corrosive substances—including winter road or rock salt, sand and brine, slush, and road salt mists—plus grime and oxidization can easily turn a showroom car into a rust-bucket and corrode brake lines, fuel lines, and other parts of the underbody, which would be hard for the average driver to detect.”

With the warm-up in the weather this week, head to the nearest car wash so you can ward off any hint of damage to the vehicle’s paint, exterior, interior, and chassis. Here’s what you want to look for in a car wash to make sure your car gets the cleaning it needs to counteract winter’s effects:

Take your vehicle to a touchless or brushless facility to protect the coat and chassis.

Make sure the automated car wash you patronize is equipped to clean your undercarriage, too.

An underbody wash can help protect brake lines and other parts that can rust from road brine and salt, says AAA.

Avoid car wash facilities that use nylon brushes that transfer dirt and debris from other cars to yours.

Also avoid car washes that use recycled water.

Have your car re-waxed and sealed when you have it washed.

Make sure the attendants drying your vehicle are using fresh, clean towels during the after-wash wipe down.

Once your car is clean, carefully inspect it for paint flakes and specks, rust, oxidation, or corrosion. If possible, repair chipped paint as soon as possible.

Finally, don’t forget to clean the interior of your car as well. “Residual salt, brine, and sand brought into the interior of the vehicle can damage floor mats and carpet,” advises AAA Mid-Atlantic. So use a “hand vacuum to remove dirt and debris from the floor and seats.”